2 of The Best Computer Home Office Chairs

(Long Term Review)

These days we are sitting more than ever so a comfortable and ergonomic chair can help tremendously in preventing back pain and other skeletal disorders. In the market, there is no shortage of chairs that label themselves as “ergonomic” but end up falling short on quality and comfort. I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk typing, editing, gaming, working, browsing and just about any other activity we do at our desks. I first upgraded my generic computer chair at home in 2009 to a Herman Miller Aeron. 4 years later, in 2013, I had the opportunity to buy a Humanscale Freedom with the headrest and have been switching back and forth between the two since. They are both excellent chairs and it is hard to pick a true winner as I love them both for being functional, durable and adjustable. My suggestion would be to have both but I know this is not realistic for everyone. Read on and let me tell you about the cool features, differences and overall feel of these two incredible chairs as I experienced them through the years.

Humanscale is a company that designs products around comfort, function, durability with concern for the environmental impact caused by manufacturing. The Freedom chair lets you dial into comfort using many of its standard features including an optional dynamic neck/headrest for support during recline, as well as upgradeable arm pads. The Freedom chair comes in only one size with or without a headrest and includes many colors, fabric, cushion, arm pad, and frame type options. Premium materials with beautiful finishes allow this chair to fit in many different décor styles and settings. I recommend purchasing the headrest model, its dynamic movement as you recline is unique and very useful. During a long workday leaning back while having head support that keeps an upright line of sight allows users to continue having a focus on work with no back or neck strain. The headrest is also great for gamers who oftentimes recline while gaming. Both the back and seat pan slide along rails adjusting to the shape of the user. Underneath the front of the seat, a lever allows you to slide the pan forward and backward for a comfortable seating position. At elbow height behind the back pan, another lever slides it up and down allowing the lumbar curvature to properly support the user’s natural spinal curve. The arm pad supports move up and down in unison with a unique locking mechanism while standard arm pads remain straight but are upgradeable to an advanced version which pivots inward and outward. Reclining tension, or how much force is needed to tilt back on the Freedom, is located at the rear underneath the chair and can be adjusted from soft to stiff using an Allen wrench. As with most computer chairs, a hydraulic cylindrical central post adjusts the height using a lever located underneath the chair on the right side. The Freedom chair improved my posture immediately once I was able to dial in the exact adjustments that were comfortable for me. Be aware that with all the levers and adjustments it may take up to a week of trial and error to really find the settings that work best for you but it’s totally worth the work. My chair is still running like a champ after years of use and my only partial complaints include the leather version not being breathable in the warmer months and with all the moving parts it can get creaky and noisy but can be solved with lubrication. It’s really hard for me to upgrade this chair because of its amazing headrest and adjustability. If you decide to go with the Humanscale freedom you will not be disappointed.

Cons:

• no tilt lock mechanism

• tilt tension requires allen key

• creaky and noisy after a while

• no mesh or fully breathable material

• standard arms don’t swivel inward/outward

Herman Miller is a furniture company with a rich history known for hiring the world’s best designers to produce some of the most iconic furniture designs. The first office that I worked in had the Herman Miller Aeron chair which I found to be really comfortable for the long hours spent sitting at my desk. When that same company first started offering employees the opportunity to work remotely, or in my case from home, I jumped at the opportunity. At the time I had a cheap computer chair at home which I rarely used up until then. A few weeks of 9-10 hours a day, working in my chair at home, made it clear that I needed an upgrade when I began feeling discomfort in my back. Happy with the results the Herman Miller Aeron yielded in the office, I decided to buy the same model for myself at home. The Aeron comes in 3 sizes, A / B / C, a standard version that does not have adjustable arm height, a fully loaded version which has adjustable arms and 2 different variations of lumbar support. I went with the fully loaded B version in graphite frame / carbon classic with the regular pad lumbar support. There is a fair amount of options to choose from that include frame color, mesh color/pattern, arm pad style and the aforementioned lumbar support type, all making it easier to customize the style or function to your preference. The mesh material, formally known as “pellicle”, allows the body to breath which is particularly great for warmer climates or months and it benefits from its stretchiness that conforms to many different body types. Lumbar support is provided by either a pad that slides up and down rails on the back of the chair or by an upgraded posturefit mechanism. Both the pad and posturefit are good in providing support with the latter has more depth adjustability. The arms on the fully loaded Aeron move up or down and pivot inwards/outwards however the standard versions are stationary. Firmness of the tilt mechanism can be adjusted on the right side using an easily accessible tool-less knob and the height adjustments can be made using a lever for the hydraulic cylinder just above it. On the left side there are two tilt adjustments, one to prevent the chair from tilting backwards in order to maintain an upward posture, the other to enable/disable additional tilt forward. Unfortunately, the Herman Miller Aeron does not come with a headrest version like the Humanscale Freedom, but third party versions are available. I really enjoy sitting in this chair especially during the summer months allowing my body to keep cool. The longer you own the Aeron the more its mesh on the back and seat pan soften up making it comfortable, but eventually it will need to be replaced as some support is lost. My Herman Miller Aeron was my first personally owned high quality ergonomic chair and through the years it has not let me down. I highly recommend this chairs breathability if you live in warmer climates and I am also impressed by the reclining tension adjustments that make it comfortable to lean back in. Having a headrest option like with the Humanscale Freedom would have been nice, but third part versions are available if you need one. With more than 7 million chairs sold, the Herman Miller Aeron is a great choice for working comfortably. 

• overtime mesh back and seat pan material will soften

• no headrest variation

• only mesh material variation, no leather or solid fabrics

• seat sizing variations put limitations on adjustability

• standard arms do not adjust in height

• lumbar support pad wears fairly often, but is replaceable